Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Livid Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 20, 2012

Screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury's "Livide" a.k.a "Livid" (2011) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Studio Canal. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer; behind the scenes featurette; and short video interviews with directors Bustillo and Julien Maury and actors Marie-Claude Pietragalla, Catherine Jacob, and Felix Moati and Jeremy Kapone. In French, with imposed English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Cold eyes

Over the course of a single day, an experienced in-home caregiver (Catherine Jacob, Who Killed Bambi) introduces Lucy (Chloe Coulloud) to her clients. The last one, Mrs. Jessel (Marie-Claude Pietragalla), who lives in a large house on the outskirts of the city, is in a cerebral coma, barely breathing with the help of a special device. Once a beautiful and famous ballet dancer, Mrs. Jessel now looks like Baba Yaga.

Before they leave the house, the caregiver nonchalantly mentions to Lucy that Mrs. Jessel once had a treasure. Before she became seriously ill, Mrs. Jessel apparently hid it somewhere in the house - at least this is what people used to say when the caregiver first heard about the treasure.

Later that night, while having a drink with her boyfriend, William (Felix Moati), a poor fisherman, Lucy mentions the treasure. William’s brother, Ben (Jeremy Kapone), also joins the conversation, and eventually the three decide to enter Mrs. Jessel’s house and find out if there really is a treasure waiting to be discovered.

Once in the house, Lucy quickly realizes that something isn’t right, but William insists that they finish what they have started. On the second floor, the visitors discover a locked door. William suggests that they break it, but Lucy remembers that Mrs. Jessel has a key around her neck which could open the door.

Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s second feature film is essentially a fairytale for adults. It has a distinctive Gothic flavor and some of the edginess that made the French helmers’ debut Inside an instant hit with horror fans, but overall this is a far easier to endure film.

The plot is fairly straightforward. But this should not be surprising as the focus of attention was clearly on creating and sustaining a unique atmosphere rather than surprising with an original narrative. The visuals are indeed striking, particularly during the second half of the film, where Lucy, William, and Ben realize that they are trapped and facing an evil force.

There are a couple of flashbacks that affect the intensity level but do not redirect the film. There are, however, a few inconsistencies in them, and viewers who pay close attention to small details will likely notice them. Nevertheless, the loose ends are effectively brought together and the climax does not disappoint.

The cast is good, with Coulloud in particular making an impression as the cautious young girl who makes the right decisions time after time. Moati and Kapone also do not disappoint. The enigmatic Beatrice Dalle, who appeared in Inside, has a small cameo role in the film as well.

The special effects by Olivier Afonso (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Lockout), are very good. The makeup and some of the unique masks a few of the supporting actors wear are also top notch (see the sequence with the young ballerinas). Last but not least, Emmanuel Augeard (The City of Lost Children, Switchblade Romance) and Alexis Marzin’s (Les bien-aimés) sound mixing is outstanding, easily one of the major reasons why Livid is such an atmospheric film.

Note: Last year, Livid had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. In the U.S., the film was also screened at the Screamfest Horror Film Festival.

Livid Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury's Livid arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Studio Canal.

Despite the fact that large parts of the film are very dark, detail and clarity are excellent. The short daylight sequences also convey very good depth (see screencapture #8). Color reproduction is strong - the cold blues, greens, grays, and blacks are lush and well saturated. Sharpness levels are stable. There are no traces of compromising post-production corrections. The high-definition transfer is also free of serious banding and aliasing issues. There is no edge-shimmer either. Lastly, purely transfer specific anomalies, such as pixelization, are nowhere to be seen. To sum it all up, this is a competent presentation of Livid which should please fans of the film. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Livid Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and French LPCM 2.0. For the record, Studio Canal have provided imposed English subtitles for the main feature. They split the image frame and the black bar below it.

The lossless 5.1 track is excellent. The film is loaded with terrific audio effects that will undoubtedly test the muscles of your system. The surrounds, in particular, are used with great precision, further adding to the already terrific atmosphere. The bass also comes alive. The dialog is crisp, exceptionally clear, and very easy to follow. Additionally, there are no pops, distortions, or audio dropouts to report in this review. The English translation is excellent.

Livid Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original UK trailer for Livid. In French, with imposed English subtitles. (2 min, 1080p).

• Behind the Scenes - a standard featurette with raw footage from the shooting of the film. In French, with imposed English subtitles. (18 min, 1080/50i).

• Interviews - directors Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury explain what inspired them to shoot Livide and the film's unique atmosphere, while cast members discuss the characters they play. In French, with imposed English subtitles.
  
  1. Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury (6 min, 1080/50i).
  2. Marie-Claude Pietragalla (8 min, 1080/50i).
  3. Catherine Jacob (4 min, 1080/50i).
  4. Felix Moati & Jeremy Kapone (4 min, 1080/50i).

Livid Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury's second feature film, Livid, is a dark and stylish fairytale for adults. I think that most viewers who like genre films will enjoy it quite a lot, but only if they do not expect to see a film that matches, or outdoes, the graphic style of Inside. The film looks terrific on Blu-ray. RECOMMENDED.